Ernest arthur le sueur



(No Model.)

B. LLB SUEUR. ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

No. 514,681. Patented Feb. 13, 1894.

I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST ARTHUR LE SUEUR, OF OTTAWA, CANADA.

ELECTROLYTIC CELL.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 514,681, dated February13, 1894. Application filed April 15. 1893. Serial No. 470,488. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST ARTHUR LE SUEUR, a subject of the Queen ofGreat Britain, residing at Ottawa, in the county of Carleton andProvince of Ontario, Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrolytic Cells, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object an improvement in electrolytic cells,and relates to cells of the kind shown and described in Letters PatentNo. 468,880, dated February 16, 1892, granted to me. In the use of cellsconstructed as set forth in said patent it is necessary to adjust thepositive electrode from time to time in proportion as it is eaten awayor destroyed in use; also, some difficulty has been experienced inpreventing the escape of the chlorine which is generatedin the cellsowing to the manner in which the carbon electrode is mounted andsupported. My present invention is designed to provide new and improvedmeans of adjusting the positive electrode, and, also, to obviate thedifficulty aforesaid.

It consists in certain features of construction and arrangement such asare hereinafter -.more fully described and the novel features of whichare pointed out in the claims which are appended hereto.

My invention is shown in the accompanying drawings to which reference ismade in the following specification and in which- Figure 1 is a verticalcentral section of a portion of a cell showing the means employed forsupporting and adjusting the carbon electrode as also for preventing theescape of the chlorine gas. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof partly insection. Fig. 3 is a detail hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the drawings A shows a bell or receiver of stone-ware orsimilar material within which the positive electrode D is placed. Themethod of placing the bell in an outer vessel as also of securing thediaphragm and negative electrode is not shown as they are well known tothose skilled in the art and form no part of my present invention. Thecarbon electrode consists of sticks or pieces of carbon which are set ina metallic backing or plate shown at j. The metallic backing is providedwith an upwardly extending supporting piece is which extends upwardlythrough an aperture in the top of the bell A. After placing theelectrode in the bell I secure on the top of the upwardly projectingsupport is a cap a which is provided with preferably three lateralprojections b. The under side of these projections b is beveled, asshown at d and also preferably slanted or beveled transversely to insurea better bearingon the ring f. Between these projections b and the topof the bell I place a ring f see Fig. 3, of lead or other suitablematerial which will resist the action of the chlorine. The ring f isprovided with notches shown at g which equal in number the projections bon the cap. It is interposed between the top of the bell and theprojections 19 for the purpose of supporting the carbon electrode, andsaid ring is therefore of a depth or thickness sufficient to hold thecarbon electrode at the highest point which it is desired to hold itwithin the bell. As the carbon eloctrode is eaten away or destroyed inuse it isnecessary to lower it and this is the purpose of the notches g.By turning the ring f the projections 17 may be made to rest atthelowest point of the notches or at any point along the beveled sidesof the notches up to the highest point thereof thus permitting theraising or lowering of the carbon electrode in the bell and setting itin any position. Asthecarbonelectrodeis sometimes eaten away unevenlythat is one side more than the other, it becomes desirable to tilt thecarbon electrode inside the bell so as to immerse all parts of itequally in the liquid within the bell. For this purpose the under sideof each of the projections?) is made beveling so that by shifting thering f toward one side or the other of the opening in the top of thebell one side of the cap will be raised and the other side lowered thustilting the lead backing and carbon electrode. The top of the bell A isprovided with a sealing groove formed by upwardly projecting flanges awhich are preferably circular and which encircle the ring f and partssupported thereby the said sealing groove being partly filled withliquid such as water as shown. The end of the conductor by means ofwhich the,

chlorine is conveyed away from the cell is enlarged and made cup-shapedas shown at H in order to fit into the sealing groove on the bell. Thispiece H is preferably separate from the conductorand the upper portionof it is provided with a sealing groove that is partly filled withliquid such as water into which in turn the enlarged end of theconveying pipe shown at K is placed. In this way when it is necessary toadjust the carbon electrode in the bell the sealing joint H may bereadily removed, the ring f turned to adjust the electrode and thesealing joint H replaced.

I do not herein claim the removable liquid sealing joint H broadly asthat forms the subject of another application for Letters Pat-- entfiled by me April 12, 1893, Serial No. 470,043. By the arrangement abovedescribed the danger from the escape of chlorine is very considerablylessened and the apparatus may be readily and speedily adjusted and aconsiderable saving in the expense of the manufacture of the chlorineeffected.

What I claim is- 1. An electrolytic cell having a hell or receiverprovided with an aperture in the top thereof, an electrode locatedwithinsaid bell and having a support projecting through said aperture,adjusting devices whereby the portion of the electrode within the bellmay be varied, and a liquid seal on said bell surrounding the saidaperture therein and said adjusting devices, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electrolytic cell the combination with a bell or receiverhaving an aperture in the top thereof of an electrode located withinsaid receiver, a support secured to said electrode and projectingthrough the aperture in said receiver, three or more lateral projectionson said support and a ring of varying thickness co-operating with saidprojections to support the electrode and located between saidprojections and the top of the bell, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with the electrode having a support provided withthree or more lateral projections, said projections being beveled on theunder sides thereof, of a supporting ring whereby by moving the ringlaterally the electrode may be tilted and held in that position,substantially as set forth.

An electrolytic cell having a bell or receiver provided with an aperturein the top thereof, an electrode located Within said bell and having asupport projecting through the aperture therein, laterally projectingarms on said support, a ring interposed between said arms and the top ofsaid bell, aliquid seal on said bell surrounding said ring and saidsupport, and a suitable connection co-operating with said liquid sealfor conveying the chlorine from the cell, substantially as set forth.

5. An electrolytic cell having a bell or receiver provided with anaperture in the top thereof, an electrode located within said bell andhaving a support projecting through said aperture, devices located abovesaid aperture for adjusting the electrode, and a removable connectingpiece arranged above and surrounding the adjusting devices whereby thesaid adjnsting devices may be readily exposed and the carbon adjusted,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST ARTHUR LE SUEUR. Witnesses:

W. D. Ln SUEUR, K. MERRIoK.

